Multiple tank filling system



Feb. 15, 1966 P. L. JOHNSON MULTIPLE TANK FILLING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 70 MAN/FOLD JNVENTOR.

BY 4254 W Filed Jan. 24, 1962 ATTORNEYS Feb. 15, 166 P. L. JOHNSON MULTIPLE TANK FILLING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1962 lllIu-lulllll a ig m INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,234,745 MULTIPLE TANK FILLING SYSTEM Philip L. Johnson, Marshalltown, Iowa, assignor to Fisher Governor Company, a corporation of Iowa Filed Jan. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 168,333 7 Claims. (CI. 62-50) This invention relates in general to an improved arrangement for filling a plurality of tanks with liquefied petroleum gas such as propane or butane.

Certain customers or consumers of liquefied petroleum gas have the gas stored as a liquid in a plurality of storage tanks. The tanks are interconnected by a common manifold through which the gas is withdrawn as a vapor for use at an appliance. The tanks must be filled periodically and this presents problems since it is desirable to fill all of the tanks simultaneously without interrupting the gas supply to the customer. It is .also desirable to accomplish the filling rapidly with a minimum of apparatus and manipulation while reducing the hazard present in handling the liquefied gas.

In the past it has been necessary to connect a special vapor equalizing line between the truck carrying the bulk fuel supply and the customers line from the tanks to his appliance while the tanks were being filled from the truck. A block valve is therefore utilized between the common manifold and the customers line to disconnect the manifold from the line. After the tanks were filled, the vapor line was disconnected and the valve between the tank manifold and the customers line was opened to supply the customer from the tanks. The pressure regulator valve controlling the amount of flow was therefore subject to damage or dangerous operation due to a liquid slug entering the regulator.

The present invention contemplates the avoidance of many of these problems by the use of master valve at a master tank for filling a number of slave tanks through a common manifold simultaneously with the master tank. Vaporized gas is upplied to the customer through a passage in the master valve from the vapor normally present in the master tank. When the filling operation is completed the master valve serves to conduct vapor from the other tanks and common manifold into the master tank and then through the passage in the master valve to the customer line. Liquid is prevented from entering the customers line since the liquid must first enter the master tank and that line is therefore always isolated from. the liquid supply while the need for supplying the special vapor service through an auxiliary vapor line is avoided. Further, the customers service is not interrupted by opening or closing of valves. Slave valves are provided at the slave tanks and in the master valve to terminate the liquid flow to the respective tanks, but these are operated only momentarily to interrupt the filling operation and do not affect the vapor supply from the master tank. As soon as the filling operation is completed, the slave valves are opened so that vapor can also be supplied from the slave tanks, but since liquid in the common manifold cannot enter the customers line, no danger results, nor is the customers service interrupted by the closing or opening of the valves.

By thus isolating the customers line, the common manifold may be altered to permit the installation of additional tanks or alteration of the capacity of the system, also without interrupting customer service. This permits the capacity of the system to be easily expanded.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for supplying gas service from a plurality of storage tanks.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for filling a plurality of tanks with liquefied petroleum gas.

3,234,745 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 It is still another object of this invention to provide uninterrupted vapor service to an appliance from a group of commonly connected tanks containing liquid petroleum gas while the capacity of said group is altered.

These and other objects, advantages and functions of the invention will be apparent upon reference to the following specification and claims, together with the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a typical installation utilizing the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of one of the slave valves.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the master valve.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the master valve taken along the line 55 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the master valve taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 1 a typical installation utilizing the principles of the invention is illustrated at 10. The installation comprises a master tank 12 and slave tanks 14, 16 and 18 for storing liquid propane and each may typically be of 100 lb. capacity. The tanks are identical with the exception that tank 12 has a master valve 20 connected thereto and the others each have a slave valve 22 connected thereto as illustrated on tank 14. The slave valves 22 are all connected in parallel to the master valve 20 by means of respective fitting 23 on the slave valve connecting to a common manifold 24, which extends through a suitable cover 26 provided for the valves and tanks. The common manifold connects to the master valve 26 by means of a fitting 27.

The master tank 12 carries, in addition to the master valve 20, a meter 28 connected between a customers appliance over a line 29 and a pressures regulator 30 connected to the meter over a conduit 32. The regulator 30 controls the rate of vapor feed from the tanks 12, 14 16 and 18 to the customers line. The regulator 30 is connected to the master valve 2%) by means of conduit 34 and a fitting 35 and it is of any well know type such as type 922 disclosed in Section RT, page 4 of catalog LP-7 dated January 1960 and published by the Fisher Governor Co. of Marshalltown, Iowa.

The slave valves 22 as best seen in FIG. 2 each comprise a body 36 having a threaded end 37 for engagement with a respective tank and a threaded boss 38 defining a manifold passageway 40. The boss receives the fitting 23 and the passageway 46 establishes a flow path from the manifold to a transverse passageway 42 in the body 36. The passageway 42 extends through the end 37 for communication with the slave tank. The passageway 42 has a port 44 therein adapted to be closed by a valve 46. The valve 46 is part of a conventional valve assembly 48 comprising a stem 50 adapted to be manually operated by a handle 52 for either opening or closing the port 44. Normally the valve 46 is operated to a position where the port is open to permit liquid to flow into the tank from manifold 24 or vapor to flow from the tank into manifold 24. A ball check 54 is located in passageway 42 for also closing port 44 if the manifold or other apparatus should break.

A pressure relief valve assembly 56 having a passageway 58 communicating with the passageway 42 and the tank is provided to relieve the pressure in the event it should exceed a predetermined limit. A fixed liquid level gauge having a dip tube 60 with a hood 61 at its lower end is also provided to enable a determination of the maximum liquid level in the tank to be made in any well known manner through the passageway 62 and the member 63 on body 36.

The master valve 20 comprises a body 64 having a threaded lower end 65 adapted to be received in the master tank 12. It has an inlet body or coupling 66 threadingly received in a boss 67 at the upper end of body 64 to define a port 68. This port is normally covered by a cap 69 on the coupling 66 as seen in FIG. 1. The coupling 66 is adapted to receive a filling hose adaptor 70 as seen in FIG. 3 for communicating liquid petroleum from a hose and suitable valve mechanisms extending to a delivery truck. I

The port 68 is normally closed by a check valve assembly 72 located in a widened annular passageway 74. The assembly 72 comprises a valve member 76 carried in a valve head 78 The periphery of the valve head 78 is formed to define flow paths 80 between it and the guide wall 82 of passageway 74. The valve head 78 is carried on a stem 84 slidingly received in a bushing 86 of a spider 33. A spring 90 serves to bias the valve head 78 in one direction to hold the valve 76 engaged with the seat of port 68 and the port closed.

The spider 88 defines openings 92 which communicate by means of a passageway 94 to both a transverse bore 96 and a port 98. The transverse bore 96 communicates with the manifold 24 while the port 98 communicates with a tube 100 received in a passageway 102 formed in the end 65 of the body 64. Thus, both the tube 1% and the passageway 102 communicate with the master tank 12. The port 98 is adapted to be closed on one side by a manually operable valve assembly 104 comprising a valve 106, stem 108 and handle 110 to terminate communication between the filling adaptor and tank 12. A ball check 112 is also adapted to close the port 93 at its other side.

The passageway 102 is in communication at its lower end with the tank 12. At its upper end it communicates both with a safety relief valve assembly 114 through a passageway 116 and the customers line through a passageway 118. A dip tube 120 is also provided for ascertaining the liquid level in the tank 12.

The passageway 118 has a port 122 which is adapted to be closed by a manually operable valve assembly 124 comprising a valve 126, a stern 128 and a handle 130. When the port 122 is open, the passageway 118 communicates with a transverse bore 132 seen in FIG. 5. The bore 132 communicates with the conduit 34 extending to the pressure regulator 30 for supplying service to the customer. The valve assembly 124 will be retained normally open to supply vapor service to the customer while the tanks are filled or their number altered.

To fill the tanks 12, 14, 16 and 18, an attendant first inspects the installation and notes that the valve assemblies 48 on the slave valves 22 and the valve assemblies 104 are in their open position. If not, he simply operates the respective handles 52 or 110 to open the respective valves. He removes the cap 69 and connects the filling adaptor 70 together with the hose leading to the bulk delivery truck. The valve in the line is opened and fluid allowed to flow through the hose.

The fluid pressure is now exerted against the check valve 76 to open the valve so that the fluid moves from port 68 through the passageways 8t 74, 92 and 94. From passageway 94 the fluid moves both into the passageway 96 and through the common manifold 24 and also through port 98 and the tube 100 leading to the tank 12. From the common manifold 24 the fluid moves through the passageway 40 in each of the slave valves 22 and through the port 44 into the passageway 42 and the respective tank 14, 16 or 18. The liquid level in each of the tanks 12, 14, 16 and 18 now begins to rise as the tanks are being filled simultaneously. It will be noted that bore 96 is about three times the area of port 98 sothat about three times as much fluid enters manifold 24 as tank 12 and all tanks therefore fill at substantially the same rate.

The attendant observes the liquid level at each of the tanks. As soon as one of the slave tanks 14, 16 or 18 has been filled, he closes the valve assembly 48 thereat to terminate further flow into that tank while the others continue filling. When the master tank 12 is filled, the valve assembly is closed to prevent further flow into the master tank 12. Thus all of the valve assemblies are closed when filling is completed. The attendant then detaches the filling adaptor 70, replaces the cap 69 and reopens all of the valve assemblies 48 and 110. The tanks are now all restored to normal service. A hydrostatic relief valve 134 is provided in either the manifold 24 or at the master valve 20, if desired. This prevents the possibility of excessive pressure developing should all valves be closed immediately after filling and before the liquid has a chance to drain into the tanks or cylinders.

During the filling operation vapor in the master tank 12 continues to pass through passageways 102 and 118, port 122, and through the bOre 132 and the conduit 34 into the pressure regulator 30 so that the customer receives normal service without interruption during filling. When the tanks 14, 16 and 18 are in normal service, the vapor is supplied from the master tank 12, as described, and also from the slave tanks 14, 16 and 18 by means of the passageway 42, port 44, passageway 40, the manifold 24, the bore 96, port 98, and the tube 100.

Thus it can be seen that the vapor service to the customer is effectively isolated from the tanks as they are being filled so that service is uninterrupted, nor need a special vapor line be connected to the installation in order to provide the customer with service. Further, only a minimum of control apparatus need be manipulated, while no danger is present of liquid entering the regulator. The number of tanks may be expanded, of course, and their capacity varied as needed.

In expanding the number of tanks, or altering the capacity of the group of tanks, customer service may continue uninterrupted while the additional tanks are added to the system. Thus, the slave cylinder valve assemblies 48 and the master valve assembly 104 are closed to isolate the common manifold 24 from each of the tanks. Customer service may now continue uninter'ruptedly as before described while one of the fittings 23 is opened to vent the vapor pressure in manifold 24. The common manifold 24 is now altered or replaced to accommodate additional slave tanks which are coupled to the manifold in the same manner as the tank 14, for example. When the additional tanks are connected, the slave valve assemblies 48 and the valve assembly 104 are simply opened to restore normal service.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A method for supplying vapor service to an appliance from a storage arrangement containing liquefied gas and vapor in a plurality of separate tanks, the improvement comprising the steps of extracting the vapor from one tank only for passage to said appliance, the step of supplying vapor from the other tanks to said one tank, and the step of supplying liquefied gas to all of said tanks simultaneously without interrupting the vapor supplied from said one tank to said appliance.

2. A vaporized gas supplying system for supplying vaporized gas to an appliance comprising a plurality of tanks for containing liquefied gas, common interconnecting conduit means between said tanks, a single outlet conduit from one of said tanks only adapted to be connected to the appliance, means for connecting said common interconnecting conduit means in communication with the vaporized gas in each of the other tanks; valve structure for enabling liquid to be supplied to said one tank while vaporized gas is withdrawn therefrom, said valve structure comprising a valve body connected to said one tank, said valve body having means defining a first passageway for receiving liquefied gas, a check valve for closing said first passageway to liquid flow during normal supply operation, and means defining second and third passageways communicating with said first passageway, said second passageway communicating with said one tank, said third passageway being connected to said common interconnecting conduit means for communication with said other tanks for either supplying liquefied gas thereto or for passing vaporized gas from said other tanks into said second passageway, valve means for selectively closing said second passageway, and means defining a fourth passageway for conducting the vaporized gas in said one tank to said single outlet conduit for passage to an appliance.

3. A vaporized gas supplying system for supplying vaporized gas to an appliance while simultaneously permitting filling of the tanks in such system with liquefied gas, comprising a plurality of tanks for containing liquefied gas and vaporized gas, one tank defining a master tank, conduit means for communicating the vaporized gas in said master tank only to said appliance, manifold means for communicating each of said other tanks to said master tank, valve means operatively disposed between each of said other tanks and said manifold means for selectively controlling flow between each of said other tanks and said master tank, and master valve means operatively associated with said master tank for controlling flow of vaporized gas to said appliance and simultaneously, for controlling flow of liquefied gas to said master tank and to said other tanks from a source of liquefied gas, whereby, liquefied gas may be supplied to said master tank and through said manifold means to said other tanks and simultaneously, vaporized gas can flow from said master tank to said appliance through said conduit means.

4. A vapor supplying system for supplying vapor to an appliance while simultaneously permitting filling of the tanks in such system with liquefied gas comprising a plurality of tanks for containing liquefied gas and vaporized gas, one tank defining a master tank, conduit means for connecting said master tank to said appliance, said conduit means including means defining a passageway communicating with the vaporized gas only in said master tank for supplying vaporized gas to said appliance, manifold means for communicating each of said other tanks to said master tank, valve means operatively disposed between each of said other tanks and said manifold means for selectively controlling flow between each of said other tanks and said master tank and master valve means including means defining separate passageway for receiving liquefied gas from a source thereof, said master valve means being operatively associated with said master tank for controlling flow of vaporized gas to said appliance and simultaneously for controlling flow of liquefied gas to said master tank and to said other tanks from a source of liquefied gas, whereby, liquefied gas may be supplied to said master tank and through said manifold means to said other tanks and simultaneously, vaporized gas can flow from said master tank to said appliance through said conduit means.

5. A va-por supplying system for enabling liquefied gas to be supplied to the system while vapor is withdrawn therefrom to operate an appliance, such system comprising, a plurality of tanks for containing liquefied gas and vaporized gas, one tank defining a master tank, manifold means interconnecting said master tank and each of the other tanks, valve means for controlling the flow between each of the other tanks and the manifold means, master valve means for controlling flow of vaporized gas to the appliance and simultaneously, for controlling flow of liquefied gas to said master tank and to said manifold means, means defining a vapor flow passageway in said master valve means for communicating with the vapor only in said master tank, means defining a separate passageway in said master valve means for conducting liquefied gas into said master tank in a path separate from said vapor flow passageway, and a conduit communicating with said vapor flow passageway for conducting vaporized gas to the appliance.

6. A vapor supplying system as in claim 5 wherein said separate passageway is annular and is disposed about said vapor flow passageway.

'7. A vaporized gas supplying system for supplying vaporized gas to an appliance comprising a plurality of tanks including a first tank for containing liquefied gas, common interconnecting conduit means defining a manifold for connecting the tanks, a single outlet conduit from said first tank only for supplying vaporized gas to an appliance, means for connecting the manifold in communication with the vaporized gas in each of said other tanks, valve means for controlling flow between each of said other tanks and said manifold, valve structure for enabling liquid to be supplied to said one tank while vaporized gas is withdrawn therefrom, said valve structure comprising a valve body connected to said one tank, said valve body having means defining a first passageway for receiving liquefied gas from a source, a check valve constructed and arranged to close said first passageway to liquid flow during normal supply operation and to open during system filling operation, means defining second and third passageways in said valve structure communicating with said first passageway, said second passageway communicating with said one tank, said third passageway being connected to said common interconnecting conduit means for communication with said other tanks for either supplying liquefied gas thereto or for passing vaporized gas from said other tanks into said second passageway, first valve means for selectively closing said second passageway, means defining a fourth passageway in said valve body for conducting the vaporized gas in said one tank to the single outlet conduit for passage to an appliance, and second means for selectively closing said fourth passageway.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS R6. 18,774 3/1933 Heylandt 6251 1,943,059 1/1934 Dana 137--263 X 2,307,309 1/1943 Thomas 137--588 2,348,478 5/1944 Jones 6255 X 2,384,677 9/1945 Hill 1.. 6255 X 2,529,275 11/1950 Blumer et al 137-588 2,968,162 1/1961 Acomb 6250 2,972,873 2/1961 P661: 61; al. 62-51 3,043,334 7/1962 Hen-riques et al. 137588 3,066,495 12/1962 Biggins et al 62-50 3,151,640 10/1964 Teston 6250 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD J. MICHAEL, LLOYD L. KING, Examiners. 

1. A METHOD FOR SUPPLYING VAPOR SERVICE TO AN APLIANCE FROM A STORAGE ARRANGEMENT CONTAINING LIQUEFIED GAS AND VAPOR IN A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE TANKS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING THE SETPS O EXTRACTING THE VAPOR FROM ONE TANK ONLY FOR PASSAGE TO SAID APPLIANCE, THE STEP OF SUPPLYING VAPOR FROM THE OTHER TANKS TO SAID ONE TANK, AND THE STEP OF SUPPLYING LIQUEFIED GAS TO ALL OF SAID TANKS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHOUT INTERRUPTING THE VAPOR SUPPLIED FROM SAID ONE TANK TO SAID APPLIANCE. 